CHARLESTON, S.C. (Aug. 15, 2014) - The fourth season of US Club Soccer’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) is here, and there’s reason for excitement.

“To all our members: welcome to the 2014-15 NPL season,” new NPL General Manager Leo Garcia said. “You’re a part of an exciting time for the league, as recent expansion has created more opportunities. We hope you’ll take advantage of as many of those opportunities as you can, including NPL Showcases, championship events, PDPs and your day-to-day local league competitions.”

The NPL was created four years ago to elevate and change the competitive youth soccer landscape by extending developmental principles espoused by U.S. Soccer into more age groups and clubs, by linking competition with player development and identification platforms, and by providing meaningful weekly competition culminating in the NPL Finals.

The year-long battle for national championships will be tougher this year, as the NPL welcomes two new leagues in 2014-15: the Northwest Champions League and Virginia NPL. That makes 19 total member leagues with all working toward the goal of reaching the 2015 NPL Finals. The dates and location of that event will be announced soon.

US Club Soccer’s Player Development Program (PDP) has also been expanded. PDPs will continue to be held around the country, and are often hosted by NPL member leagues. Previously focusing on a couple different age groups, 2014 marked the welcoming of expanded PDPs that involve multiple age groups and more frequent training opportunities.

Additionally, the NPL’s voice on social media has grown exponentially with member players, coaches, parents, teams and leagues connecting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #NPL.

Without further ado, welcome to the 2014-15 NPL season. Make it a memorable one.

ABOUT US CLUB SOCCER:

A National Association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation, US Club Soccer is an organization committed to the development and support of soccer clubs in the United States.

US Club Soccer offers youth and adult registration, league- and cup-based competition platforms at the recreational and competitive levels, as well as a variety of other programming, including the Olympic Development Program-sanctioned id² Program and Player Development Programs.

Through US Club Soccer, all of a club’s programs – recreational, competitive and adult – are able to be united under one organizational umbrella, creating a “members for life” culture within each club. US Club Soccer is sponsored by Nike and Army National Guard.